SideShow Home Automation

RicaVision SideShow Remote Arrived

For all 4 of you that have ever read anything on this site you’ll know I am a bit of a Distributed A/V : SmartHome freak and part of that quest is creating a remote control system with an extremely high WAF(Wife Acceptance Factor). I thought I had that set with my Phillips Pronto and room based content switcher but then Microsoft introduced SideShow and the first devices started appearing in glass cages at tradeshows. Devices with color screens, Media Player control and easy navigation.

For about 6 months I’ve had my eye on the RicaVision SideShow Remote but they were not available. Diligent monthly searches eventually turned up a purchase link for the Manufacturer Samples @ $249.99 and decided to go for it. My 2 year old really helped me out when he recently found a way to flip my Pronto into ‘Toddler‘ mode, meaning its bricked.

So 5 days later the RicaVision Remote has arrived and so far I am mostly impressed and very excited about the potential not just of this specific device but of SideShow in general. SideShow really is one under hyped platform that Vista enables and Microsoft is really not doing it justice.

Why this remote and why SideShow? Mostly because the default SideShow Gadget gives you full control of Windows Media player, that means headless song selection that is bi-directional! Cover Art on the remote, bluetooth control etc, you get the idea.

I am going to do a detailed review of it shortly but my initial impressions are :

Packaging : NICE, came in a nice faux leather box

Build Quality : Pretty good for a sample. The chrome is a bit chintzy and you can see waves in some of the plastic but really nothing that impacts usage or even is noticeable unless your looking for a problem

Software : Drivers took immediately although I did have to remove/insert the device post driver install to get it to appear in the SideShow Control Panel.

Configuration : None, it Just Works

BlueTooth : So-so, it seems to lose connection randomly but just hitting back and enter tends to get the job done. Slightly annoying but I imagine they are fixing this with the new version coming out later this year. I was able to change songs from 50 feet down the hall so that was cool. Additionally, sometimes you have to hold the button for a full second or so to get a response. A second doesn’t seem like a lot but try it, you’ll see.

IR : It includes an RC-6 Windows IR Receiver so its plug and play and works as expected

Ergonomics : Pretty weird actually. The remote has 3 distinct ‘areas’, a top black area that controls the SideShow app (QVGA screen + 5 way thumbstick + Back + Menu buttons), a middle area that has another 4 way button pad for Media Center and then the bottom area with the standard Play/Pause buttons. Instinct is to always use the 4 buttons, not the thumbstick. You get used to it but a single 4 way with a selection switch might be nicer.

Overall : I am impressed and excited. This remote will let me control the music in the backyard from the comfort of my lounge chair, no laptop required and no more NetRemote. It also controls Media Player in headless mode, this means you can use it on your primary PC and never see Media Player.

What is more exciting is how dead simple SideShow is to develop for. If you can output XML then you can start building basic SideShow apps. My current plan is to use SideShow to control my Matrix Switch and eventually my Sprinkler overrides. As I get those Gadgets rolling next week I will post about them.

So, more SideShow coming soon and a real review with photos this weekend.